I met with Brittany, Al and baby Julian at their home in Beamsville to document what life looked like as new parents and to celebrate Julian’s arrival. Julian was perfectly content and all smiles throughout the entire session. It’s hard to believe that it has already been one year since these photos were taken. I think that is what lifestyle sessions like these can show us, how quickly time passes and how important it is to document our days.

With the change in pace we are all experiencing right now due to the global pandemic of COVID-19 it has been a tough adjustment to not be running out and documenting these moments. It is my hope that families in isolation together will make the most of this and cherish this gift of time to nurture our relationships and really be together. I know for myself I am more present at home, spending less time running in and out, less time on my phone and looking forward to sit down meals and conversation that lasts.

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I think it can be a fun project to make a point of creating some images of this time together. Capture the quick candids and the fun as children play or take time to set up a group photo from your couch or in the yard.

Here are some pointers to help you capture these moments in the best way.

1. Find the ‘good’ light

When we are documenting portraits inside our clients homes we look for the spaces that provide the most natural light. Turn off all overhead lighting as this messes with your colour balance and setup for your photo near a large window/source of natural light. Be sure you aren’t pointing the camera into the window as this will create a lot of light flare and dull down the contrast and colour in the photo.

If you are taking a portrait outside you want to look for a large patch of shade, shooting in direct sunlight creates unpleasant shadows and is very harsh looking. Make sure you are taking the photo from an angle that keeps you from shooting directly into the sun.

2. Consider your posing

If you are looking for a quick way to improve your posing try using a small stool or two depending on the size of your group. You can then use a rule called sit, stand, lean. It works exactly how it sounds, you will have some family members standing, sitting and some leaning in towards the camera. If you don’t have stools or want something less formal you can still apply this with a seated portrait in the lawn, around a couch in a family space, etc.

3. Try different compositions

Take a couple different photos of each pose. Take them so that they are close, medium and wide. We find that the composition and crop on portraits can help change the emotion and feel of the image. When you are close up the emphasis may be more on your expressions and how the photo makes you feel. Where as shot wide it’s not just expression that you notice, it’s the surroundings and significance of the location as well.